I first heard the idea of cooking through the entirety of a cookbook just a few years ago and was immediately attracted to the idea. I have an ever-growing collection of cookbooks. Currently, I have two cookbooks on preorder and I often will pick a new one up, spur of the moment, while I’m browsing bookstores, not to mention the one or two I check out with every library visit. Having so many recipes at my reach is often, mostly, a good thing but the downside is I typically try a handful of new recipes right after I get the book but then am distracted by the latest cookbook in my possession.
So I thought it would be fun in 2022 to set the goal of cooking through one of the cookbooks in my collection! My choice of cookbooks was a bit of a no-brainer. Just after Christmas, I received a new book I preordered months ago – “The Comfortable Kitchen” by Alex Snodgrass, The Defined Dish. I have Alex’s first cookbook as well and quite a few of our family favorites come from her first book (ahem, the beef enchiladas are truly life-changing good!)
Alex made it super easy for those of us wanting to cook through the entire book by creating a printable checklist. You can find the printable HERE. (Notice I feel like we are totally on a first-name basis even though we’ve never met in real life! I have followed The Defined Dish on Instagram for years now and Alex is so down to earth, so genuine, I can’t help but feel like we are friends!)
In total there are 105 recipes in “The Comfortable Kitchen,” including 7 cocktails and 3 “back to basics” (like homemade mayo). To get through the book in a year, I would need to cook two recipes a week. This seems very doable considering there are many simple, quick meals as well as a few side dishes. And this leaves plenty of room to continue to make my own favorite recipes and continue to make new recipes from the rest of my cookbook collection! One caveat, I’m not sure if I’ll get through the entire cocktails selection. We do not typically make cocktails at home, but there are definitely a few drinks grabbing my attention that will make a trip to the ABC store worthwhile.
Okay, let’s get started!
The First Recipe…
The first recipe I made from “The Comfortable Kitchen” was another obvious choice. I had just received a Butcher Box* delivery which included their new little smokies (mini hotdogs) and it was New Year’s Eve so Alex’s Paleo Pigs in a Blanket were on the menu.
Honestly, this recipe surprised me. We do not follow a strict paleo or gluten-free diet, especially when it comes to things like bread or pasta. Typically the substitutes just don’t stand up to the flavors and textures we are accustomed to and I had already mentally prepared myself for the girls not going for these paleo pigs in a blanket.
But I was so wrong!
These were delicious! The dough came together quickly – less fuss than a regular wheat flour dough – and the girls ate them up. Actually, they apparently enjoyed the breading even more than the hotdogs themselves, picking off and eating the bread, leaving the hotdogs on their last couple of pieces.
Definitely a recipe I will make again. These would be great to take somewhere, especially with people who may follow a strict paleo or gluten-free diet, because they will satisfy everyone’s tastes!
*Butcher Box is my referral link. Signing up through my link gives me a credit to my account as well as gives you the latest promotional deal.